Chapter 63:
The eventful National Founding Festival came to an end, and everything returned to normal. Enzhe’s strange behavior had completely vanished, and the citizens of Atlantis, who had been in a celebratory mood throughout September, gradually returned to their daily lives. Sue was one of them. The exhilaration she had felt during the festival had faded away on that secluded terrace at the grand ballroom.
Even at Full Bloom, where noble children from all over the country gathered, the Black Eagle Class was always noisy. It wasn’t that there were any particularly troublesome students besides Sue, but they lacked a central figure to keep them in check, so the atmosphere was always chaotic.
Even though there was a class representative, it was usually the Skias who maintained order in the classroom. But unfortunately, two out of the three Skias in the Black Eagle Class weren’t exactly model citizens. There was a glimmer of hope in Raines Noel, but even he had been losing popularity ever since he started acting strangely, becoming friends with ‘Clot’ in the spring. And he hadn’t shown his face in the classroom since the beginning of the autumn semester, so the unruly behavior of the Black Eagle Class had only gotten worse.
“Huhuhu, I’ve even received approval from the three grand duke families: Fritz, Acrea, and Lopetrefer.”
And surprisingly, the center of the chaos was none other than Giona Vercia, the viscount’s daughter.
Giona Vercia. Something had happened, because her haughty demeanor hadn’t changed even after the September Festival. In fact, she had been even more boastful since the day after the festival, constantly flaunting her superiority to the other students.
“Now all that’s left is for His Majesty to bestow the official seal, and our family will be able to enter the capital.”
Apparently, the Vercia viscount family’s Skia status had been confirmed.
The Vercia family had a small territory in the northern part of the empire and had made significant contributions to the empire’s territorial expansion policy for generations. Their efforts had finally been recognized, and they had been awarded the Skia medal.
In other words, the Vercia family would soon establish their main residence in the capital, Löhn, and be treated differently from the non-Skia nobles, like Sue and Noel.
“Well… the Vercia family is certainly qualified to enter the capital. They’re one of the families that have protected the northern stronghold for generations.”
“Hmph.”
Vercia giggled smugly at Krantz’s words.
Perhaps because the Vercia family’s entry into the capital had never been rumored in noble society, everyone was surprised by the news. But no one questioned their Skia status. As Krantz had said, they were more than qualified.
And so, Giona Vercia started looking down on Sue, the daughter of the Byron family, whose Skia status was the most dubious in the capital.
Vercia had never liked Sue, but she had been even more hostile since their argument in the restroom. The Vercia family’s entry into the capital must have already been a done deal at that time.
She would often glance at Sue as she boasted about the benefits of being a Skia to the other students. Sue noticed, but she ignored Vercia’s smug looks.
But it wasn’t deliberate. She wasn’t in the right state of mind to pay attention to the affairs of the academy or noble society.
She had been preoccupied with something else for the past few days. Sue fidgeted with a small, worn-out note in her hand. The crumpled paper contained an address.
‘The Apricotty Forest… The name was Jean Emilia, right? …What kind of person is he?’
It was the note she had received from the suspicious fortune teller, Jean Emilia, at the National Founding Festival, with the address of his workshop.
‘Damn it, should I go or not?’
Sue groaned, her head pounding.
The Apricotty Forest was located just east of the outer wall, outside the canal, so it wouldn’t be difficult to get there.
But as the dreamlike National Founding Festival ended, and reality started to set in, she was becoming increasingly afraid.
She lowered her head and closed her eyes tightly. The image of the suspicious fortune teller, with his fake beard and awkwardly disguised voice, wouldn’t leave her mind.
Jean Emilia. A self-proclaimed former Imperial mage, who seemed to be somewhat skilled. And that mage had said that he would dedicate five years to helping Sue Byron, for a price.
Based on the facts, it was a golden opportunity that Sue Byron couldn’t miss. But she still hadn’t taken a single step towards the Apricotty Forest.
‘I shouldn’t have said anything. I shouldn’t have…’
Even putting aside the possibility that Jean Emilia was a scammer, she was scared now. And she regretted revealing such a sensitive family matter to an unknown fortune teller.
Breaking the curse mark meant breaking the alliance with the Lopetrefer grand duke family. She had vaguely understood it, but what she was about to do was a betrayal that could bring down the Byron family.
‘I don’t care if the Byron family falls.’
But this plan couldn’t be leaked, not even a single word.
‘The curse mark… It wouldn’t be easy for anyone to figure out the family matters just from that, of course. And no one would believe the words of an unknown mage. Even if he really was a former Imperial mage, he didn’t seem like the type to reveal his identity and cause trouble. That’s why I told him…’
She had judged the fortune teller based on that vague feeling.
Sue tapped her fingers on the desk nervously.
It wasn’t that she suddenly felt guilty towards her parents or Enzhe.
‘Can I handle this?’
The only problem was whether she could handle the consequences of her actions.
Her mind was already in the Apricotty Forest, but her body was still far away.
And even if she went to see Jean Emilia, she wouldn’t be able to bring any guards, except for Ten and Nine, whom she trusted to keep the secret. That would make it difficult to defend herself if Jean Emilia tried to harm her.
‘Ah… Should I go or not…!’
The more she agonized, the more pessimistic scenarios flooded her mind.
“Byron, Lady Lopetrefer is calling for you.”
Silent, the Black Eagle Class representative, pulled her out of her despair.
“Lady Enzhe?”
Sue’s head shot up like a startled cat at the mention of her master’s name. Her eyes followed Silent, who walked past her indifferently, and stopped at the classroom door. She composed herself and stepped into the hallway. Enzhe was standing there, her posture demure.
“Lady Enzhe, what brings you here?”
Sue asked, flustered. Enzhe smiled seductively.
“Sue, I want to treat you to tea at my mansion today.”
“Oh my, really?”
Sue’s face brightened as she understood what Enzhe meant.
“Yes. Father received some tea from the East as a gift. I tried it, and it has a very unique aroma. And it’s quite addictive. I wanted to share it with you. Are you free?”
“Tea from the East… I’m curious about what it tastes like! Thank you for offering to share such a rare tea with me. I’ll gladly come.”
Sue’s answer was always reflexive. She would think about the implications of Enzhe’s words later.
Enzhe nodded with satisfaction, seeing her agree without hesitation.
“Then come to the Golden Lion Class after school.”
“Yes!”
Sue watched Enzhe’s retreating figure, her black eyes narrowed with suspicion.
Suddenly inviting me to tea? And she came all the way here just to tell me that? Enzhe?
Sue went to the Golden Lion Class every day to see Enzhe, but Enzhe rarely came to the Black Eagle Class to see her. And it was even rarer for her to invite Sue to the Lopetrefer residence.
‘Is she going to beat me up again?’
No, that can’t be it.
She suppressed the wave of negative thoughts.
The wounds from the September Festival hadn’t even fully healed yet. And Enzhe was in a good mood lately, thanks to her reconciliation with Fritz, so she wouldn’t do anything drastic, like dragging her to the mansion’s storage room and activating the curse.
As she returned to the classroom, clutching her waist, she felt the stares of her classmates piercing her. Their eyes, filled with envy and jealousy, followed her.
“…When I officially move to the capital, I’ll probably receive tea party invitations from the Skias too. Maybe even from Master Fritz.”
Vercia, unable to stand the attention Sue was receiving, muttered.
She had clearly overheard their conversation in the hallway.
Lady Lopetrefer had personally invited Sue Byron to her mansion.
It was something unimaginable to the other students in the classroom. They had no idea what went on in that mansion.